It is reported (e.g. by journalist Pasquale di Bello in 1992) that "... The song "He's gone" will be ironically dedicated to Lenny Hart ... " after he " ... left with a good slice of the group money ." This occurred in Febr. 1971. PigPen left this world in March 1973.
And this show certainly is one of the most outstandings; man, they had a four-night-stand at the Lyceum.

Maybe someone could shed some light, but could this He's Gone be for Pigpen? I know the March '73 version after his death is usually thought to be the dedication to him. And the song is supposed to be in reference to Mickey's dad being gone. I could be wrong but don't they play it 2 songs after he sings his last song with the band, Two Souls? And Two Souls is HIS song, not a cover, not a band song, that is HIS. After Two Souls they play PITB, and then He's Gone. After this show which closes the Euro tour, Pigpen came back and played one more show where he didn't sing a single song. Was the plan for him to leave the band after the euro tour? Did he come back to play that final show in the states just so they could play Stella Blue for him? Not everyone sees Stella Blue as being about Pig, but that's what I always thought. Especially when you hear the lyrics in the bridge (not in Hunter's hand written notes) , "Dust off those rusty strings just one more time. Can't keep from cryin". Pigpen was the Blue Star of the group. Not only for his blues style, but I see him also like a Blue Star: 10 to 100 times the mass of the sun, and burning through his fuel at a tremendous rate.

After this show, it's almost like a totally different band to me.

TODAY, I consider myself the luckiest man
on the face of the earth-Lou Gehrig
I often wondered how a man who knew
he was going to die
could stand here and say
he was the luckiest man on the face of the earth.
TODAY, I believe I know how Lou Gehrig felt
-Babe Ruth

THE END OF AN AGE.

I like Tivoli and I like Paris, but I like this night the most. The MD which really got me into the dead in the first place. Original sounds just as good as the E72 version in my opinon.

I was at this gig and also an earlier one at Wembley. The only reason I went was because some friends wanted to go, so I've never really been a Deadhead. Didn't particularly enjoy either gig and it's taken all these years for me to finally get into them. Now I can't get enough! It really was a great show.

I think this is the best of the Dead's best tour. The myth we have to contend with now is the Morning Dew described in McNally's book -- Garcia with tears streaming down his face, worried somewhere in the back of his acified mind that the sound engineer wasn't getting it down on tape. But it's all here, and on beyond it goes, more ballads, and nobody's tape matters anymore since you can stream it all you want.

This is the first and only thing I've posted on the archive yet. I am a 21 year old college student, who recently, purchased a record player for my room and then hooked it up to my stereo in there. I went to a bunch of music shops and picked up whatever Dead I could find, which was not too much. I then went home and had to beg my parents on my knees to let me take a few of their albums from their huge collection. I was lucky enough for them to say yes, and one of the vinyls I grabbed was Europe '72.
Morning Dew has always been one of my favorites, especially for a cover. The emotion that is put into it is unparalleled. And when the boys are on, it can bring a grown man to his knees.
As much as I love jams, the first time I ever listened to the Morning Dew side of the record, I went right to MD. It was the first time I've ever heard Morning Dew on vinyl, so I was excited for it. The intro is amazing, but what really got me was Jerry's voice. I was completely floored. I have NEVER Jerry's voice like that. I have trouble finding the words to describe it. It sounded so pure and so full. I was completely beside myself. I was losing my mind. It had to be one of the most beautiful things I've ever heard. While I know I'll never get to see Him live or the band in it's entirety, I know that one day, I'll get to hear that sweet, sweet voice. I just hope it sounds as good in person as it does on vinyl ;)

the last great Pigpen show...

Truckin'>Other One>Dew is classic. Loser is solid.
April and May PITB's are particularly dynamic.

Some shows in Europe 72 are better than others.

Promised Land kicks off the final E72 show with a nice energy, typical of the shows played in London.
Sugaree, Pigpen on the organ is a nice addition here. A cohesive version.
Mr. Charlie
BTW, A+ version here, everyone is synch and it has a nice energy, no overzealous Bobby singing (he doesn’t crack his voice by screaming).
Loser, Bob and Jerry both do amazing work on the guitar here, with Phil & Keith accenting.
Next Time You See Me, Garcia turns in a great performance here.
El Paso, A+ version with Garcia and Keith punctuating and Billy rising to the occasion in each of the climaxes.
Dire Wolf keeps things in the fun zone! I love how Garcia gets into the lyrics of this song, and the emphasis he puts on “meeeeee”… Nice solo as well.
Two Souls… way to kill the momentum Pigpen.
PITB, longest of the tour I believe. Momentum regained, and the jam starts off nicely, not a driven pace, but again quite cohesive, which leads to beauty. At 9 minutes in they add some more energy to the otherwise great jam, and things really take off as Jerry weaves his way through the song. 12 minutes in they take a step back, reloading before a nice drift back into the theme for the reprise. A great, exploratory PITB.
He’s Gone
Cumberland Blues, hell yeah Jerome.
Jack Straw, great version, really puts you out on the open plain.
Chinatown Shuffle maintains the momentum.
China>Rider has nice Phil bombs leading us to the between verses solo, building a nice entry to the segue jam. Great work here.
NFA>GDTRFB>NFA is a nice sequence to finish out the first set, even if it left them holding the bag for the second set close haha. Nice energy in the NFA, with a slightly ABB sound to it even! GDTRFB’s jam session is plenty psychedelic with great Bobby behind Jerry, the keys are both doing well, drums too. Great sequence to close the set off.

Truckin’>TOO>Drums>TOO>Sing Me
Truckin’ comes out truckin’! Keith puts in some great early work. The energy is pretty nice through the lyrics, but the jam after it slows down into a more tradition blues approach with the first hints of TOO coming after the 10 minute mark, at which point it also speeds up a bit, then falls into a slower, exploratory jam still somewhere between the TOO and Truckin’ themes. There is a nice piece starting around 14 minutes in that though it doesn’t have a name is pretty consistent, there are hints of Dark Star in there actually. Things slow down, Phil gets a moment, and drops the rolling thunder intro to TOO. Even TOO has some Dark Star hints to it. We get a short drum solo, then some Jerry added in, then with a dash of Phil, this makes up the first “TOO” per the labelling on E72. We then get another drum solo. They sing the verse after a short re-entry to TOO, and it falls into space, and again I think Jerry is thinking Dark Star… anyhow, it’s too slow for my blood. It doesn’t pick back up until shortly before the 7 minute mark, where it appears to be on a course for the Tiger. Instead they maintain momentum and go closer to TOO’s theme, only for Jerry to hint again at the Tiger, though he doesn’t take unleash. They go heavy exploratory, quite effectively, with nice power behind it before Dew emerges. Solid Garcia throughout is capped by a fanning finale where the Dew does what the Dew is supposed to do… And they have to finish TOO after all! Another 5 minutes of TOO brings us an on a dime transition to Sing Me Back Home.
MAMU, prior to this we get a minor revolt by Billy, he apparently didn’t want to play it! He was overruled.
Ramble On
Sugar Magnolia
Casey Jones

Encore is just one more OMSN for the Euros… on a Sunday.


Performance Summary
This was the only E72 show I had a complete copy of on cassette back in the day, and I didn’t have the compilation “Europe 72”, so this was my only real E72 representation in my early GD days. The playing is consistently tight, nuanced and trippy. The second set meat sequence actually suffers from slowness at a few points, but the set is strong. 1st set is better than the 2nd, to my ears.

Sound Quality
He’s Gone seems to have either some weird effect, or some warble, otherwise stellar official release.

Some say Wembley (second one), some say Tivoli (first one), some say Paris (first one too), some say Rotterdam. Well I say that if you could only have one show from Europe '72 05/26 at The Strand Lyceum is not a bad choice. Great Playin', fantastic Two Souls, and then there's that Truckin'>Other One>Drums>Other One>Morning Dew>Other One>Sing Me Back Home sandwich. Oh my, and Mr. Charlie rocks too! Last night of the tour and the lads pull out all the stops.

I have to agree. this is my favorite of the europe shows too!

Nothing tops it. Three and a half hours of pure perfection as they were presenting it at the time. Nothing captures this band at its fullest and most true moment.

Great recording. Keith is high up, so is Pig's organ, and plenty of his songs!

All the first set songs are played to their best (especially BTW, Loser, Dire Wolf, The Stranger) killer versions of everything.

Second set: COMMON!!! Truckin>Other 1 Jam>Drumz>Other1>Morning Dew>Other1>Jam>Morning Dew>Other1>Sing Me Back Home

NOTHING COMPARES! Pure Dead Jam moment. Sure there were some great Dark Stars and Playin' Jams on the Europe 72' tour, but really, what's better? Nothing. They saved the best for last. For sure.

UPDATE 2011.12.29

Listening back on this show I realize that it has stood the test of time as one of my favorite shows.

Just got the discs from the Europe 72: Complete Recordings and listening to it currently. Though this hollister sbd and other since updates sound incredible, David Lemieux's release really brings the full color of this incredible recording and performance to light.

This is the last show where Pigpen is really a participatory member of the band. His next show would be his last, and he would not sing (or play really) at that show. This last night of London is really the Swan Song for Ron. Yeah there's no Lovelight or Good Lovin' but his four songs that make it into the first set present some of his finest energy on the tour! The Stranger is particularly moving, and heartbreaking considering his demise.

This is the first Playing In the Band that was truly an "extended" version. This is a pinnacle moment in the Dead's development, as it they had created their next true powerful Jam vehicle outside of Dark Star or The Other One. They were way past the days of Alligator, the "jazzy-Americana" thing was on, and Playin was in!

The show is obviously important. But the recording being so pristine is also part of the charm of this last show of the Europe 1972 tour. Pig and Keith playing with the original Grateful Dead. For the last time.

Excellent both in performance and sound quality.

A monumental performance, the band has pulled out all the stops for their last show of the tour. The nineteen song 2+ hour first set, perhaps the finest of the tour, is a monster, featuring fantastic performances of Cumberland Blues, Jack Straw, China/Rider, Playin' in the Band and a surprise Dire Wolf. Concluding with a jammed out NFA> GDTRFB> NFA, this set on its own would have been a great show. But of course the band still has a bit of magic left in the tank, the second set comencing with a jam suite right off the bat.

This one will sound very familiar with the incredible Truckin' and Morning Dew immortalized on Europe '72, split by an epic 35+ minute, largely percusion driven performance of The Other One which gets reprised twice. The post Truckin' "Epilogue" is phenomenal. Seamless, it's difficult to discern where Truckin' ends and The Other One begins, Jerry and Keith are locked in so tightly. A brief but intense bass solo preceeds the intro theme. After a great drum solo the theme fires up again. Keiths playing is extraordinary here. During a brief segment just prior to the first verse he sounds like Steve Winwood.

The following ten minute post-verse "Prelude" to Morning Dew is one of the most compelling passages that the band has ever played. After the phenomenal performance of Morning Dew the band finds their way back into The Other One. Three minutes into second reprise there is some rather cool interplay between Weir and Garcia which is followed by a brief but sublime duet between Pigpen and Keith that must be heard to be believed. Simply beautiful, it's an amazing conclusion to this epic tour. (100 pts)

yes oh yes, this NFA is quintessential. the audience starts clapping the song along with Billy and then the band launches into one of the craziest versions EVER - blues licks abound, then jerry and keith lock into a fucking groovy-ass riff around 4:03, keith finishes it off, then after a brief lesh solo, jer takes off yet again as they move into an equally classic GDTRFB.

and this is just the highlight of the 1st set. The second set jams are, of course, EPIC...

Keith is out in front of the band for big chunks of the 2nd set and it is brilliant,from the jam after Truckin' through Dew.If you listen closely you will realize that this was a chunk of unique Dead,the jam after Truckin',the structure and the way they played the Other One,and that killer jam into Dew.Keith generally lays back and plays off the other guys,accents,fills and such.Not tonight,he is hammering away,weaving in and out locking in on Jerry,and you just hear Jerry getting off on it,and the music is better for it.

this is a top ten show. fairly well presented in eu72 with augmented vocals, when you hear the dew youll understand why, but i bet youll also not give a dam that jerry wasn't perfect, the version is still fantastic. However the Playing ITB is also an essential version that must be heard, it would be hard to imagine never hearing this take! The short is this is the best show from europe, tops for the year, (and there were so many moments in 72), and probably the best show that pig and keith both collaborated on. This is up there with 9/20/70, 2/18/71, 5/26/73 and 6/9/77.
contact me at fieldhouse11277@hotmail.com happy to share with good listeners

Proof: This very version of Casey Jones.

TOO* much else about this show to even mention, just listen. I'd say download it, but alas...

*get it? har, har!

This is It. Quintessential Dead from the period. Of course we hear monumental pieces on Europe '72. The jam out of Truckin' is one I have heard countless times and illustrates the directions they would go under intense imagination and fury. This jam informed and changed me as a listener of music.

Quality is quite good, if not great, but not *superb*. hence the four.

This show is probably my new favorite. I have had it playing for a week and listened to nothing else. The Playin' is great. The Other One is decent and the fact that they touch it three times is pure delight. The transitions between songs in that section of the show are amazing. Some of the best jams and some good solid non-jam songs. Sound quality is also superb as well. This is a list topper. Give it a listen.

anywhere you go youre going to find some form of conflict, disagreement and disrespect. i just cant believe im finding it on a website where everyone comes to find great music.

anyways, its an awesome show. seems like they went nuts on their last night and played on and on and on- fit just about everything in this show. went into the other one three times..crazy

ahhh those cherry jerry notes!!! check it out from distant shores.and remember play loud and smile!

Hokey may or may not be off on his review but if you read it without any bias to the dead or the sci you may just get a kick out of his dirty hippy but remark. PS>>>>Of course I doubt he has a clue what his brazilian waxed hip hop ass is talkin about but..... OK!

I'm definitely with the earlier mention
of piano and organ, the oft-overlooked
secret weapon of Europe '72. It gives the
sound a nice fullness and variety of
textures. And since Morning Dew was
(favorably) spiffed up in the studio, then
looks like 10/18/74 wins on a technicality...!
And on the obscure front, a fantastic Two Souls
in Communion, the backup singers(!) making
up for their 5/24 embarrassment - an emotional
(for me, at least) swan song for Pigpen...
And I sure got a soft spot for that (and this) '72
Playing in the Band - fierce and to the point.

great sound great show 5 stars for sound and show last time i checked this was a dead show i didnt see anything about sci in there hokey, get a life

5/11/72 AND 5/26/72 ARE BOTH MONSTER SHOWS. GET THEM BOTH. WORDS ARE A WASTE...JUST DL AND ENJOY THE RIDE!!!!

great morning dew but to me the best morning dew along with this one is from 10/18/74 listen and enjoy i think you will agree with me after your ears and the hair on arms stands up along with an emotion that so powerful both of these are 2 of the most sound quality and great performances by the dead because europe 72 on this day because they knew they were giong back home soon and the other because the were home on the last leg of the movie shows qote from bob wier himself ,

A very nice show. The standards are well done, and there are lots of jams, all good. Even the first set has some shorter jams. China Cat->I Know You Rider is a taste of what's to come. At the end of the first set, things get going with Not Fade Away->GDTRFB->Not Fade Away. This is followed directly by an amazing suite with THREE instances of the Other One, with some nice Phil spots: Truckin'->The Other One->Drums->The Other One->Jam->Morning Dew->The Other One->Sing Me Back Home. Hokey smoke, as Rocky the Flying Squirrel used to say.

As a bonus, the organ and piano are clearly audible and balanced in this recording. For instance, on Morning Dew, you can hear both Pigpen on organ and Keith on piano, on opposite channels. It really adds to the depth of the ensemble performance that is the Grateful Dead.

"Hokey, I wish I knew where you live so I could come and put a dent in your forehead. FAG!"

Priceless!

Anyway, back to this show. It is probably one of the finest shows in my collection of over 300. The sound quality is phoenominal and the first set is played more like a second set. The thing is, the real second set is where all the action is at. One of the best 2nd set jams ever. The only downside is (maybe) the otherwise great Dew with some weak singing that was thankfully not used on E72. However, if you call yourself a Deadhead and don't have this show, then shame on you.

Hokey, I wish I knew where you lived so i could come put a dent in your forehead. FAG!

Great show. Nice mixture of genres

Download this one and plaY it LOUD!!!!!!!! SO LOUD THAT THE POEPLE THAT LIVE NEXT TO YOU CAN HEAR IT!!!!!! THIS IS GREAT EUROPE '72!!!!! THE SECOND BEST GD TOUR EVER!!!!! PERFECT SHOW!!!!

String Cheese Incident should quit, I should know. The Dead are the only Jam band, everything else like the String Cheese Incident sucks dirty hippy ass

I can't beleive I get paid to sit and listen to these shows while I work. I might never quit my day job.

I don't know if I can go as far as the other reviewers on this one but it's excellent none the less.
Lets start with the soud quality first.Right now it's being played back through about $75,000 worth of gear and it sounds nice w/ minimal manipulation.Theres a little hiss that came right out w/ Soundsoap for you other studio guys.Very little eq'ing and it sounds awsome.Lots of dynamics that jump and move with nice stereo imaging on the whole mix.
The mix is perfect in every respect.The bass drum sits just above the bass guitar.With just a little low freq push if you have a sub woofer this one feels as good as it sounds.Man, those esoteric bass lines of Phil's are as prominent as the vocals.The vocal mix is as good as any Dead show I have in a collection of 600+.Jerry, Bob, and Pig are even in tune in Dire Wolf which I'm sure was a first and maybe the only.The sound gets 4 out of 5 the way it is.However w/ just a little tweak you can make it a 5 even if you don't have a studio at your disposal.
The performance.Good, although I don't think it's as good as the other reviewers here say it is.Euro '72 is my favorite Dead tour and I'm partial to all the shows I'm lucky enough to have.And this one is no exception.If you like the vocal oriented stuff there is alot of it here and it's all good.Not as good as Dusseldorf 4/24,Rotterdam 5/11, or the most underrated show of the tour Frankfurt 4/26.
The second set jam is where its at for me.They go out for a while but not as far as some of the afformentioned shows but that might be a good thing if you don't dig the crazy improv pieces like I do.However, theres still plenty here to listen to.
Overall I give the performance a 4.5 out of 5.And because it only allows whole stars here that means a 4.However the extra length of the show is also a plus.What the hell,I'll go 5 out of 5.

I'm a very harsh critic of Dead Shows, but this one... I really can't find anything wrong with it. The "Morning Dew" is somehow both mellow and powerful. Jerry, I'm proud of you- I miss you, wherever the plth you are.

Anyway, 5 star performance. My first 5 star review- ever. Download at least the MD and listen.

I love these Europe shows and this one shines. Kinda gives you that midsummer sunday afternoon feeling. I cant point out anything in particular from this show, because the whole show is a gem.
Great recording, great tunes, all molded together to produce a great time. Thanks Archive, Thanks Grateful Dead.

OMG! This show is so amazing that I cannot describe in words how much this concert has moved me.
In particular is the absolutely stunning Morning Dew. This is indeed the version from Europe 72m and when I found out that they edited it on Europ 72 I was fearful that the mind-blowing solos were all studio created. The only thing edited here are Jerry's vocals on the first two versons (they sound a litte rough, yet heartfelt) and there's some additional organ on the 2nd solo that wasn't there before. But I must impress upon you, this is a piece of music that EVERYONE should at least hear once. This version of MD has made me cry, quite literally. This is no doubt the BEST version of this song EVER. Compare it to 5/8/77 and there is NO comparison. You don't get music like this more than once! Jerry's voice is so soothing and heartfelt. His voice cracks a couple times, but that doesn't matter, it sounds so beautiful. The solos are what really get me. You give them a listen, and you tell me that doesn't hit you in some way emotionally. Pure music has NEVER had that effect on me. It's sooo amazingly powerful. I can't even describe how amazing it is. You HAVE to download this show. Or at least this version of morning dew. PLEASE! It renders me speachless. It's sooo...omg....it's just so good. I'm listening to it now and it's giving me chills!

This is not one to be missed, folks! It's stuff like this that makes me VERY happy I stumbled across the dead!

Hmm....but I guess it doesn't matter, anyway.

this was in fact the last show he sang at. he did go on stage with the band again in June but Chinatown Shuffle here is his lead song with the Dead. :^(

June 16th at the Hollywood bowl was Pigs last show. But this is a terrific recording, crisp and tasty.

I don't think anything else can be said that hasn't already, but i'll give ya my two cents anyway. Download this show. It will send chills down yer spin. What a show!

This version of He's Gone may be the most beautiful version I've ever heard. Bobby is tearing it up with the rhythm and Phil's voice sounds great. Unbelievable sound quality, unbelievble playing, a must have.

Everything that has been 'scribe about this show is "Right-On!". But, am I wrong or was this not PigPens last show?

I've always raved about the 5/10 Amsterdam Other One but this one gives it a run for its money. Another classic in a tour of classics. Check this one out. Not to be forgotten is a the behemoth of a first set on this show. As has been said before, you almost don't need the second set. Particularly good are the China Cat and Not Fade Away.

I had this bootleg in college in the 80's. The tape broke sometime in the 90's. I'm so glad I found a site that I can download this show. It's so good, that sometimes it brings a tear to my eye. Definitely my favorite show of all time.

Peace

See page 436 in McNally: "...I hear a microphone fucking up and realize I have to leave- which you never, ever do...and then I let go- and they went into 'Morning Dew'...J.G. looks up and sees me and ralizes the [sound] truck is empty I nod, and he smiles! He's playing with his back to the audience, tears streaming down his face..."...get it and read it...there is a China Cat tease into GDTRFB...gorgeous sound, everything it's cracked up to be, friends...

this is the reason I became a "deadhead". this show is a must have. it smokes from beginning to end. if you do not have this, download it right now. By the way, the sound is incredible.

There are maybe 4 or 5 shows that you can play for folks who appreciate rock and jazz music, but never really got into the Dead. This is one of them. The first half showcases solid rock and roll/bar-band material, with the correct smattering of country and western, bluegrass, and boogie-woogie. And then the central jam in the second half combines psychedelic flashbacks (slowed-down primal Dead) with single-drumming jazz fusion (Miles Davis style) to create a kind of music that cannot realy be explained, but has to be listened to.

The first set they are just wailing their hearts out and not a a microgram off key the NFA>GTR>NFA is really great I got a sweat up just listening to it. Set II crushes it...

One of the first Europe shows I ever got. And yes, that's 19 songs in the amazing first set. By the time they get to NFA>GDTRFB you think "Wow, that was a great show." You almost don't NEED Set Two, it's that good. So many hot version here it blows your mind - Cumberland, China>Rider, Jack Straw. Plus surprise - a Dire Wolf! And the Playin is just incredible. The longest they've played to this date and sounds more like 1974!
It's nice to hear the whole Other One segment of the famous Truckin - Morning Dew jam from the album. Not particularly special, but still a fun cosmic jam excursion for your mind. This show marks some final versions of classic Pig songs like Next Time. A must have show. Timeless!
Dr. Flashback ;-)

This is the Dead at their very best. A wonderful first set is followed by the famous truckin'-other one - morning dew jam. Only downside is the amount of tuning between first set songs. But this is one to take to the grave

19, count 'em, 19 songs in the first set. They could have easily quit after Playin', which seemed typical enough for 72 until they go back into the Main Ten theme and then Jerry just goes OFF. One of the highest peaks of all time. The guitar gets weird on He's Gone, but Jerry's vocals are superb and heartfelt. It's also interesting the way the band jointly fades it out at the end. The NFA>GDTRFB>NFA simply sizzles. And we still had Pigpen to kick around (and him to kick us around, albeit for short songs only). Only China>Rider seems a little lackluster. Jerry fades away on Rider, letting Bob have all the fun.

Lots of care went into this upload and the good lovin' is evident. Thank you, Jonathan. One of my favorite shows from my favorite year.

Wouldn't call this just "another great show"; it's one of the best they every played. This was their last night in Europe, and there's a high level of energy and finesse throughout. The Truckin' > AM Dew jam was good enough to be included (in edited form) on the Europe '72 album. It's hard to pick out a highlight, since there is such fine playing throughout. He's Gone comes out a little lumpy. Everything is else is cooked to perfection.

Another great show from the Strand Lyceum that sounds real good, esp. for the # of gens. They are totally on for the this one, check out Cumberland, Dire Wolf & Me & My Uncle because they sound and feel good on this one. Check it out for sure.